Apparatus for handling seed-cotton



(No Model.) 2 SheetS-FSheet 1.

R. s. MUNGER. I APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SEED COTTON. No. 808,790.Patented Dec. 2. 1884.

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(No Moc'iel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. s. MUNGER. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SEED canon. No. 308,790. PatentedDec. 2, 1884.

lhvrrnn STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

ROBERT S. MUNG ER, OF MEXIA, TEXAS.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SEED-=COTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,790, dated December2 188%.

Application filed June 5,1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT S. MUNGER, a citizen of the United States,residing atMeXia, Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Handling Seed-Cot ton, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to mechanism for handling seed-cotton, and has forits purpose to provide novel means for conveying said cotton directlyfrom the wagon or from the cotton-house to the ginning mechanism,whereby the cotton is cleansed and dried during its passage, danger offire is almost wholly avoided, and all danger of a general ordestructive conflagration obviated; to prevent the dust and trashseparated from the cotton from entering the ginning-room; to improve thequality of the cotton 5 to reduce the labor and time involved inhandling seed-cotton; to prevent heavy foreign substances being carriedwith the cotton into the gins to enable the cottonhouse to be placedatany suitable distance from the ginning-house, and thereby avoid thecommunication of fire from one to the other, thus decreasing the cost ofinsurance, and to effect a substantial economy in the current expensesof establishments for handling seed-cotton.

My invention consists in the several novel features of constructionandcombinations of partshereinafter fully set forth, and definitely pointedout in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectiontakenthroughthegin-house, part of the mechanism being broken away toillustrate its construction. Fig. 2 is a detail section, upon anenlarged scale, of the valvechamber with its contained mechanism. .Fig.3 is a detail sectionof the drop or hand pipe detached from theconveyer. Fig. 4 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly inlongitudinal section, of the distributer with its immediate connections.Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal section of a portion of the distributershown in Fig. 4, enlarged. Fig. 6 is a vertical section through theexhaust-chamber and valvechambcr, showing a modified constructure atsome distance from the cottonhouse. WVithin said house are arranged anydesired number of gins, 2, of the ordinary construction, each beingprovided with a suitable feeder, 3. Entering the ginning-house at anysuitable part is a pneumatic tube or conveyer, 4, which may be extendedfar enough to connect the gin-house with a distant cotton-house. At itsinner end thepipe or conveyer is provided witha screen or diaphragm, 6,having a comparatively large surface, and above and behind saiddiaphragm,and whollyiuclosing the same, is an exhaustchamber, 7, whichalso forms a dust-receptacle. Opening from the latter is an air-pipe, 8,communicating with a chim' ney, 9, through which a current of air isdriven outward and upward by an exhaust fan, 10. This current passes,without material obstruction, through the diaphragm 6 in the directionof the arrows in Fig. 1, creating an exhaust or inflowing currentthrough the tube 4, which has a power proportioned to the size andvelocity of the fan 10. Outside the house, and at a point suitablyadjacent thereto, a drop-pipe, 11, is connected with the conveyer 4.This pipe, which is shown in detail in Fig. 3, consists of twotelescoping sections, 12 and 13, the latter being united by means of aflexible section, 14, with a drop-bearing, 15, rigid upon the pipe 4,thereby enabling the droppipe to be moved freely in all directions. Uponthe lower telescoping sect-ion is formed an eye, 16, to which isattached a cord, 17, passing upward and over a pulley, 1S, and havingupon its other end a weight, 19, which counterbalances the weight of thetelescoping end 12. In the dropbearing 15 is formed a seat, 20, for aslidevalve or gate, 21, by which the communieation between the pipe 11and the conveyer 4 may be cut off, and a similar gate, 22, is alsoplaced in the latter beyond the drop-pipe.

Below the exhaust-chamber .7, and between it and the gin-feeder, orbetween it and a distributer hereinafter to be described, is formed avalve-chamber, 23. (Shown in detail in Fig. 2.) This chamber iscylindrical in crosssection, and has its ends closed, but is providedwith an upper opening, 24, communicating with the conveyer just belowthe exhaustchamber, and a lower opening, 25, communieating with the ginfeeder or distributor.

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\Vithin said chamber, and concentric therephragm, whereby a verythorough cleansing with, is placed a shaft, 26, upon which are mountedvalves or buckets 27, which are preferably of leather or other flexiblematerial, so constructed and arranged that each fits the inner walls ofsaid chamber closely. It will be seen that, if rotation is given to saidshaft,- there will always be at least two of these buckets in engagementwith the cylindrical and en d walls, and, as this engagement ispractically air-tight, all upward or counter currents of air areprevented. I have shown in the drawings siX of these buckets or valves;but I do not confine myself to the use of any specific number, as I mayuse more or less of them, as circumstances require.

I11 the conveyor 4, at any suitable point or points, I form pockets 28,lying upon the under side of said pipe, and provided with a hinged gateor door, 29, which may have a glass pane to permit inspection, as mayalso the pipe itself. The function of these pockets will be describedhereinafter. If the cotton is to be delivered directly to the gin-feeder3, the lower opening, 25, of the valvechamher opens directly into saidfeeder. If a wagon loaded with cotton is drawn to the ginhouse andstationed beneath the drop-pipe 11, the gate 22 in the conveyer isclosed, the gate 21 in the drop-pipe is opened, and the operator, bymoving the lower portion of said pipe in different directions andlowering or raising the telescoping end 12, can quickly take up thecotton from the wagon, which cotton will be drawn through the conveyerand carried to the gin. While the exhaust or suction is sufficient toaccomplish this work rapidly and thoroughly, it is not powerful enoughto raise foreign bodies having any ma terial weight, and a partialcleansing of the cotton will therefore take place at this point wherethe cotton enters the tube. After reaching the main pipe 4, heavysubstancessuch as nails, stones, and similar matters which may have beenembedded in a'sufficient mass of cotton to have been raised-will beextremely likely to become disengaged therefrom as the cotton passesonward, and will eventually be caught in the pocket or pockets 28, fromwhich any accumulation may be removed through the door 29. As the cottonreaches the diaphragm 6,theair-current draws the dust and leaf trashthrough said diaphragm, and drives it out through the chimney 9, theheavier particlessuch as sand, &c.falling into and being retained by theexhaust'chamber 7. This prevents any entrance of dust and trashto theginning-room, and as the cotton is very thoroughly shaken up andseparated in its passage through the pipes the cleansing effected isvery nearly complete, and in many instances practically so, before itreaches the gins. In order, however, to render this result certain, Imay place opposite the diaphragm 6 a revolving beater, 30, (shown inFig. (5,) by which the cotton is separated, shaken, and thrown forciblyagainst the diafrom dust and trash is effected. As the cot ton leavesthe curved arm 5 of the conveyor, or when it leaves the beater, wherethe latter is used, it drops between the revolving buck ets 27 into thevalve-chamber 23, and passes out thereof through the lower opening, 25,into the feeder.

Instead of delivering the cotton direct to the feeder of the gin, I mayconvey it to an intermediate d istributer. (Shown most clearly in Fig.4.) This distributer consists of a casing, 31, extending over andcommunicating with each gin-feeder by means of an opening, which may bewholly or partially closed, according to the class of feeder employed,by a valve, 32.

Within the casing 31 is an endless spiked belt, 38, carried by suitablepulleys, 3st, journaled in each end of the case. The upper web of thisbelt has horizontal support upon a plate, 35, and receives the cotton asit passes through the valve-chamber 23 at any suitable point. Thence itis carried by the belt over the end pulley, and swept by the spikesmounted upon the belt along the bottom of the casing till it reaches themouth of the first gin-feeder. The lower horizontal wall of the casingis between each gin inclined slightly upward in the direction of themovement of the belt, as shown in Fig. 5, to prevent the spikes catchingagainst its lower extremity, and at the same time insure contact betweenthe spikes and said casing in order to carry the cotton. As the firstgin-fecder is filled, the cotton is swept over the opening to the next,&c., until the distributer supplies all the gins in the series, and itwill readily be seen that by this apparatus and by a proper use of thevalves the same amount of cotton may be preserved in each feeder, andthe cotton kept level and even.

It will readily be seen that by my invention the cotton-house may beseparated from the ginning-house by any suitable distance, and therebyany fire which occurs which originates in the gin-house, as almost allfires do, may be cut off in such manner as to save the cotton-house,even if the conflagration within the gin-house be general. Moreover, ifthe fire is started in the ginning-house, the absence of dust, leaftrash, and similar impurities, and the fact that the cotton is deliveredfrom the conveyer to the gins directly, limits the fire to acomparatively small area, and enables it to be extinguished withoutinvolving a general destruction.

By my invention all the dirt, dust, and leaf trash is carried out of theginning-room instead of being blown or carried into said room, as wasdone by the methods heretofore in use. Again, the quality of the cottonis improved instead ofbeing injured, since by my invention I draw thecotton directly from the wagon or from the cotton-house through acleansing pneumatic conveyer, instead of blowing it through the fan, ashas been done heretofore,

the latter method causing an injury to the fiber of the cotton, which isvery serious, since the passage through the fan breaks the fiber, and,moreover, prevents a proper separation of the dust and other foreignsubstances mingled with it. Moreover, the rapid motion required by thismethod is apt to cause a serious injury to the seed by breaking the sameand carrying all the dust and foreign impurities directly into thegin-house, as already men tioned. 7

My invention provides a method of handling seed-cotton wherebycomparatively little labor is required, and enables me to effect asubstantial economy of the room required to accommodate the necessarymachinery. Thus it is clear that in the account of current expenses myinvention will save the cost of the apparatus .in a comparatively shorttime.

It is evident that the reduction of risk from fires which results frommy invention will effect a corresponding reduction in the preminms uponfire policies, since it will easily be seen that in the event of a fireall communication between the ginning'house and the cat ton-house may beinstantly cut off. It will also be seen that while the cotton-house maybe placed at any suitable distance from the ginning-house, the cottonmay be conveyed from the former to the latter through the pneumatic tubeby simply closing the gate or valve in the drop-pipe by which the cottonis unloaded from the wagon.

By ginning the cotton conveyed through the pneumatic tube into a commoncondenser, as set forth in an application filed by me May 31, 1884,Serial No. 133,328, I reduce the risk of fire to such a degree as torender a ginning establishment no more liable to destruction than anycotton-spinning or cotton-weaving mill.

It must be understood that the cotton may, if desired, be stored in thesame house with the gins, and may be carried to the latter by the meanshereinbefore described.

Instead of using the peculiar form of valveshai't with the flexiblevalves shown in Fig. 2, it may be possible to employ a screw-conveyer orother suitable means, which will not only carry the cotton downward, butwill cut off the upward air-current.

By the method heretofore in use,which consisted in blowing the cottondirectly through the fan to a platform in the gin-house, the risk offire was greatly increased, since not only was a spark more readilystruck in the transit, but the fire when once generated would spreadmore readily and quickly to every part of the ginning establishment.

What I claim isl 1. The combination, with a cotton-gin, of a pneumaticconveyer for the cotton means for delivering the cotton from theconveyerto the gin, and an exhaust-fan for creating an aircurrentthrough the conveyor, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a cotton-gin, of a pneumatic c onveyer for thecotton, a screen arranged in the conveyer, an exhaust-chamber inclosingthe screen, means for deliverlng the cotton from the conveyer to thegin, and

an efihaust-fau for creating an air-current through the conveyer,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a cotton-gin, of the pneumatic conveyer for thecotton, the

screen in the conveyer, the exhaust-chamber,

side of the conveyer to receive and retain heavy foreign substances,substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus for handling seed-cotton. the combination, with theginning-house,

of the pneumatic conveyer, pockets arrangedat suitable points on theunder side of the conveyer, and hinged doors by which said pockets maybe emptied, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus for handling seed-cotton, the combination, with apneumatic conveyer having a netted or perforated diapl'lragm, of anexhaust-chamber inclosing said diaphragm, a valve-chamber below the eX-'haust-chamber, and a beater intermediate the exhaust-chamber and thevalve'chamber, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus for handling seed-cotton, the combination, with apneumatic conveyer, of a netted or perforated diaphragm, anexhaust-chamber behind said diaphragm, a revolving beater in front ofthe diaphragm, a valvechamber below said beater, having a valve-shaftcarryingbuckets practically fitting said chamber, and a distributerreceiving the cotton from said valve, substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus for handling seed-cotton, the combination of theginning-house,the pneumatic conveyer entering the same, anexhaustchamber communicating with the conveyer, and a chimneycommunicating with the exhaust-chamber, for removing the dust and leaftrash from the cotton and carrying it out of the giliningroom,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT S. MUNGER. Witnesses:

Jns. L. NORRIS, Jos. .Tl. COOMBS.

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